Easy Treez turns rough poly models into procedural trees
Tools developer Abhishek Karmakar has released Eazy Treez: an interesting Maya plugin that lets users convert rough poly models into animated, fully parametric CG trees.
The software, which Karmakar describes as a “highly art-directable canopy-volume-based tool”, is intended to make the process of designing trees as intuitive as possible.
Shape animated, fully parametric trees using Maya’s standard tools
Easy Treez enables users to create guide geometry for the canopy of a tree using Maya’s standard polygonal modelling tools. The shape of the trunk can be controlled by drawing a guide curve.
The plugin then generates a fully procedural tree matching the form of the guide geometry.
Users can refine the placement of branches and leaves by adjusting parametric controls governing distribution, size and shape. There are separate branching modes for broad-leaved trees and conifers.
The plugin can also generate dynamic wind effects, with the results shown in “almost real-time” playback.
Once generated, the shape of a tree can be modified using a standard freeform deformation workflow.
The process retains all of the parameters and branch hierarchies, so leaves and dynamics can be regenerated seamlessly even after quite extreme changes in shape, as shown at 02:25 in the video above.
Pricing and availability
Easy Treez is available now for Maya 2015 and above, on Windows, Linux and macOS. It costs $45.
Read more about Easy Treez on Abhishek Karmakar’s Gumroad store page